Tenets Of Winning Wisdom – Spiritual Insights on Mentorship – Archbishop Dr. Goddy Okafor: The end of mentorship is not dependence, but empowerment. When Elijah was taken, Elisha didn’t weep forever — he picked up the mantle and walked in power.
Mentorship is not a human invention, it’s a divine pattern. From Genesis to Revelation, God advances His purposes through relationships. He places men under the guidance of others so that grace, wisdom, and purpose can be transmitted.
Mentorship is not just a human relationship, it’s a spiritual alignment. It’s God’s method for transferring wisdom, grace, and vision from one generation to another.
1. Mentorship is a Divine Strategy for Preservation of Grace:
God never allows a move of His Spirit to die with one person. It’s only in the case of Elisha a man died when he hasn’t passed over his unique mantle to another because of his mentee’s greed.
God preserves mantles through mentorship.
Numbers 27:18–20; Moses laid hands on Joshua and imparted wisdom.
Wisdom and leadership were imparted through mentorship.
Deuteronomy 34:9; And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Elijah transferred his mantle to Elisha. 2 Kings 2:2–15
Jesus and the Disciples: Jesus didn’t build followers only — He built successors. Yes, He did. Because they followed Him wholeheartedly.
Submission: The spirit of a mentor cannot flow where there is rebellion.
Spiritual Principle: You receive not only through teaching, but through proximity and posture. What you serve faithfully, you inherit spiritually.
A mentor doesn’t just teach you what they know; they unlock what’s inside you. Walk away from your mentor and his ability to impart more grace on you ceases. In 2 Kings Chapter 4, When the pots were filled, oil stopped flowing.
John 20:21-22; Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Let me reinforce this truth: Divine mantles flow through relational alignment, not ambition. Mentorship is God’s system for continuity of grace and purpose.
Paul and the presbytery: 1 Timothy 4:14; Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
Every destiny requires a voice of direction. Without mentorship, zeal can lead to waste; but under guidance, the fire burns and passion finds purpose.
It is called Impartation
2. Mentorship Is a Pathway of Impartation
Mentorship is not about imitation, it’s about impartation. It’s not copying what your mentor does, but catching what they carry.
Impartation means the spiritual transfer or communication of divine grace, power, or anointing from one person to another through divine means. It’s often achieved by laying on of hands, speaking words, or divine presence.
It’s not human manipulation; it’s the Spirit’s transmission of divine reality.
Romans 1:11; “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established.”
Paul understood that impartation strengthens and establishes believers. It’s still relevant today.
Acts 8:17; “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 19:6; “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
However, Paul cautioned us:
1 Timothy 5:22; Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. Spiritual mentorship is divinely appointed, not socially chosen. This is where mentoring comes in.
God makes this choice for you. He knows the right person to mentor you. You can do better with length of days under the mentor chosen for you by God. He recommended Job to Elisha’s at a time.
Job 42:8 NLT; “So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.””
There are men God has appointed over their fellow men for reasons best known to Him. There are men whose voices God listens to, don’t ever despise them. They are not all chosen for you. You’re wired differently, so are they. God knows that man who is appropriate for your calling.
Hebrews 5:1; For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Impartation requires a prepared vessel (the one giving). And a hungry vessel (the one receiving).
The apostle is a channel, not the source. It’s not the man’s power, but the Spirit’s flow. But it flows through human vessels.
Submission to spiritual authority:
Acts 9:17 – Paul received impartation through Ananias. You must come under the vessel God has chosen for you in order to receive and flourish.
God hides destinies in men.
When you honor those He sends, you access the dimensions of His wisdom that flow through them.
Your mentor is not your idol, they are your bridge to divine fulfillment.
Therefore, follow the pattern, not the personality. Follow the anointing, not the flesh. Pursue the grace, not the glory.
2 Timothy 1:6; “Stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.”
Psalms 92:13; Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Flourish where you are planted by God. If you plant a tree, uproot and replant it somewhere else, in a different environment, it’ll die. Environments determine what grows in them.
Insight: The anointing you honor is the anointing that flows to you.
If you disconnect from mentorship, you disconnect from the flow of grace.
It’s not magic, but spiritual flow through relationship.
When you honor divine vessels and stay hungry for God, you position yourself for fresh impartations.
Luke 1:35 – “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.”
Mentorship is About Alignment, Not Cloning
True mentorship doesn’t erase your uniqueness — it refines it.
Elisha didn’t become “another Elijah,” he became a greater expression of that grace.
John 14:12; “Greater works shall you do…”
Insight: Mentorship should not suppress your originality; it should mature your authenticity.
3. Submission is the Bridge to Impartation
Mentorship is not just observation; it’s submission. Many admire mentors from afar but never come under their discipline or instruction. Hebrews 13:7,17 — “Obey them that have rule over you…”
Insight: You cannot receive what you criticize, and you cannot impart what you resist.
Be careful how you analyze, slice, gossip, or run down your mentor. I promise you, you’ll suffer for it. You cannot spoil a vehicle that will carry you to your destination and still get there.
Mentorship Transfers More Than Knowledge — It Transfers Spirit
True mentors don’t just teach principles; they impart a spirit.
Elisha didn’t ask for Elijah’s wisdom — he asked for his spirit (2 Kings 2:9).
Numbers 11:17 — “I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and put it upon them.”
Insight: Spiritual mentorship is about catching the heart and essence of a person’s walk with God, not merely copying their methods.
Hebrews 13:7 AMPC; “Remember your leaders and superiors in authority [for it was they] who brought to you the Word of God. Observe attentively and consider their manner of living (the outcome of their well-spent lives) and imitate their faith (their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ, and their leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).”
5. Mentorship is Tested by Loyalty and Process
Every mentee will face a test of loyalty — the temptation to quit when correction or obscurity comes. Elisha followed Elijah through Gilgal → Bethel → Jericho → Jordan — each representing a process of refinement.
Insight: You can’t receive double portion grace without double portion patience.
Luke 16:12 — “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you your own?”
6. Mentorship Leads You to Divine Encounters
The end of mentorship is not dependence, but empowerment. When Elijah was taken, Elisha didn’t weep forever — he picked up the mantle and walked in power.
2 Kings 2:14–15 — “The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.” Insight: A true mentor doesn’t just inspire you to follow them; they prepare you to walk with God for yourself.
7. Mentorship is Reciprocal
Mentees must honor, serve, and receive. Mentors must love, invest, and discern when to release. Philippians 2:22 — Paul said of Timothy, “He has served with me in the gospel as a son with a father.”
Insight: Honor opens access. Service sustains it. Gratitude multiplies it.
Conclusion
Mentorship is God’s way of multiplying grace through relationship. Don’t just seek mentors who are popular, seek those who are prophetic carriers of your next season. Honor them. Learn from them. Serve faithfully, and your own mantle will speak in due time. Proverbs 13:20 — “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.”
